Sgt. Art Windemuth says officers patrolling the area found the 400-yard-long net Wednesday morning with up to 400 pounds of striped bass, also known as rockfish. He says it appears that the net was set before the shutdown of the commercial rockfish gill net season.

The season was halted Feb. 4 after 10 tons of rockfish were confiscated from illegal nets, prompting concerns the state would exceed its monthly quota. Later, the state announced that the season would reopen for two days, Friday and Monday.

So far this month, Windemuth says police have found 8,425 yards of illegal net and more than 12 tons of rockfish.